Traffic signal



Nov. 19, 1929. L. M. ToRRENcE 1,736,382

TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Jan. 1'7, 1929 I N VEN TOR.

50M @HQE/fa'.

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Patented Nov. 19, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Lno M. ToRRENcn, or ToPnRA, KANSAS, Assrenon rro Jo MARGARET rioRRnrwn, or

ARRINGTON, KANSAS TRAFFIC SIGNAL Application filed January 17, 1929. Serial No. 333,145.

My invention relates to improvements in traflic signals.

The object of my invention is to provide an illuminated trallic signal that comprises a stationary housing and a rotary member within for the control of traflic.

Another object of my invention is to provide a stationary windowed housing with indicia designating the names of the intersecting streets and illuminated from within to direct and regulate traiiic by means of stop and go orders visible through the windows and positioned on a rotable interior member or illuminant the same being quadrantly sectored by the colors red and green in accordance with the stop and go indicia.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a trailic signal comprising a station ary windowed housing containing a rotable member for the ordering of trafic change at street intersections, the revolving parts of which are protected from the wind and other weather conditions.

These and other objects will hereinafter be more fully explained.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and wherein like characters apply to like parts in the different views.

Referring to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the traliic signal with the base member broken away for the purpose of illustration.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken hrough the center of the signal shown in ig. l.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the signal with the top or cover removed.

A housing 1 positioned on the pedestal member 2 has a. roof or top 3 and glazed windows 4 on which are indicia designating the respective route or street faced at the intersection.

A cylindrical illuminant 5 preferably of glass is positioned on a disc or flange 6. The

latter being rotable to the housing l. A conduit 7 engages the flange 6 and is rotatable therewith and is the means of transmission of rotation to the flange 6 through the pedestal member 2. The actuating means to rotate the conduit is not disclosed herein and may be mechanical or manual. v

yThe wires 8 pass through the conduit7 to furnish energy to the lamp 9, the same being positioned in a receptacle l0 atlixed to the`r roof 3.

The cylindrical illuminant 5 has the traffic order indicia stop and go on its surface as illustrated. The quadrants designated by A in Fig. 3 have the indicia Stop on the subtended surfaces of the cylinder, the latter being colored red.

The quadrants designated by B in Fig. 3 have the indicia Go on the subtended surfaces of the cylinder, the latter being colored green.

Then the word Stop or Go in company with a red or green illuminant is apparent to traffic through the windows l in the manner illustrated.

The vanes 11 extending inwardly toward the cylinder 5 from the corners of the housing l serve to prevent cross illumination.

I do not broadly claim as new the illuminated street naming device in combination with traiiic regulating indicia but the principle of myinvention lies in the revolving interior illuminant with respect to the stationary housing, to which such modifications may be employed as lie within the scope of thel appended claims and what I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a means to prevent cross illumination in a rotary tratc signal of the kind described, a rectangular housing stationarily mounted upon a tubular support, a transparent cylinder rotatably mounted within the said rectangular housing and rotatable upon the said tubular support, windows in the said rectangular housing having street naming indicia,...

thereon, tratlic regulatory indicia mounted upon the said transparent cylinder having the words Stop and Go thereon, means to illuminate the interior of the transparent cylindrical housing, vanes vertically positioned at the corners of the said rectangular housing and extending in a diametrical direction ltherefrom toward the transparent cylindrical housing for the purpose of preventing cross illumination between the windows of the rectangular housing substantially as shown.

2. In asignal for the regulation of traffic, a housing, glass panels in the housing, and the 5 housing stationarily positioned on a pedestal, a glass-cylinder rotatably positioned Within the housing upon a disc member and illuminated by a lamp positioned on the upper portion of the, housing, route indicating indicia on the panels of the housing, and regulatory indicia positioned on the glass cylinder on quadrants colored red and green alternately, and the glass cylinder illuminated by the said lamp and the illumination and color being i5 apparent through the panels in the housing for' the purpose of regulating and directing traiiic at an intersection of routes.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature,

LEO M. TORRENCE.

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CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,736,382. Granted November 19, 1929, to

' l LEO M. TORRENCE.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: In the grant and in the heading to the printed specification the residence of the was erroneously given as "Topeka, Kansas", whereas said residence should have been given as "Arrington, Kansas"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of September, A. D. 1930.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

